Spartina

Spartina, commonly known as cordgrass or cord-grass,[4] is a genus of plants in the grass family, frequently found in coastal salt marshes.[5] They are native to the coasts of the Atlantic Ocean in western and southern Europe, northwest and southern Africa, the Americas and the southern Atlantic Ocean islands; one or two species also occur on the North American Pacific Ocean coast and in freshwater habitats inland in the Americas.

The highest species diversity is on the east coasts of North and South America, particularly Florida. They form large, often dense colonies, particularly on coastal salt marshes, and grow quickly. The species vary in size from 0.3–2 m tall. Many of the species will produce hybrids if they come into contact.

In 2014, the genus Spartina was subsumed into the genus Sporobolus and reassigned to the taxonomic status of section,[6] but it is still common to see Spartina used as an accepted genus. In 2019 an interdisciplinary team of experts from all continents (except for Antarctica) coauthored a report published in the journal Ecology supporting Spartina as a genus.[7]

The word Spartina is derived from σπαρτίνη (spartínē), the Greek word for a cord made from Spanish broom (Spartium junceum).[8]